Friday, 12 April 2013

Fining ourselves.

QUICK
HIDE

p

IT’S
THE FEDS

Here’s an edited version of a report from the BBC, 11/4/13.
The Health and Safety Executive investigate workplace accidents and prosecute
employers who have failed to safeguard people they owe a duty of care to.

It looks like the police investigated the death of this lady
but took no action – they couldn’t prove that any one nurse was to blame for
this death caused by outrageous neglect, so now the HSE are looking to see if
they could prosecute the management for a failure to protect people in general.

The problem is, if they can, it only means a fine and only a
fine against the organisation not the individuals.

So in this case the Court would fine Mid Staffs Hospital and
that means we the taxpayer have to pay the Court (that’s us too). It’s a
multi-million pound waste of time when what needs to happen is that people are
fired for their failings.

As I keep saying, you can’t use the criminal law to make
people care. You have to make sure that you only employ people who care. In
return you have to care for the people who work for you. Criminalising care
just frightens people, which is the way normal businesses are run. This is not
a business. It’s a caring profession. At Mid–Staffs, people stopped caring.

Comments in
italics are mine throughout;

A criminal investigation into the death of a diabetic woman
at Stafford Hospital in 2007 has been launched, the Health and Safety Executive
has said.

Gillian Astbury, 66, from Hednesford, died after going into a
diabetic coma at the scandal-hit hospital.

An inquest in 2010 found the failure to administer insulin
amounted to a gross failure to provide basic care.

The HSE said the decision to launch an investigation was
deferred until after a public inquiry. A report by the chair Robert Francis QC
into a higher than expected number of deaths at the hospital from 2005 to 2009
was published in February.

Mrs Astbury was admitted to the hospital in April 2007 after
a minor fall and was being treated for fractures to her arm and pelvis.

Therefore
her death was completely unnecessary.

The inquest in 2010 at Stafford Coroners Court heard Mrs
Astbury's blood sugar levels were not properly monitored and insulin was not
administered on the day before her death, despite being prescribed by doctors.

The jury returned a narrative verdict and said a failure by
nursing staff to record glucose levels, communicate effectively and read
clinical notes contributed to her death.

‘Contributed’
only means she died because of her diabetes, it wouldn’t have happened if they
had looked after her.

The HSE confirmed its inspectors had formally started an
investigation.

A spokesman said: "Our focus will be on establishing
whether there is evidence of the employer (the Trust) or individuals failing to
comply with their responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work
Act."

This is the
priceless comment from the Chief executive;

"The recommendations from that (internal) investigation
were implemented. Actions included raising staff awareness about the care of
diabetic patients and improving the information and system for nurse handovers.

These were
Nurses, who didn’t know (care) how to look after diabetics?

A police investigation was launched after her death, but the
Crown Prosecution Service ruled there was insufficient evidence to bring charges.